This application relates to flexible strips of fasteners and devices for driving flexible strips of fasteners.
Fasteners are commonly used to join material. Some fasteners, such as rivets, physically deform to hold a position that secures material together. Other fasteners, such as nails, anchor within material to hold the fastener in a securing position. Fastening projects may require a large number of fasteners to adequately fasten or secure the material.
Various tools are used to locate fasteners in positions appropriate for securing material. Where multiple fasteners are required for a particular project, the tools are often loaded with many fasteners at one time. Such tools typically index the fasteners as they are used. That is, as a first fastener ejects from the tool, a second fastener moves into an ejecting position.
One type of fastener is a staple. Staples are commonly used in construction and in office environments. In a construction environment, the staples may be loaded into a pneumatic or an electric staple gun, or a hammer tacker. In an office environment, the staples may be loaded into a handheld stapler. In each case, multiple staples are commonly loaded within the tool. Staples typically load into the tool in rigid strips that include multiple staples. Excessive flex or movement can break the strips or otherwise separate the strip into individual staples, which are often difficult to manipulate and tedious to load.
Staple strips straddle a generally straight guide within the tool. The size of the guide, in part, dictates the staple capacity of the tool. Although lengthening the straight guide increases the tool's staple capacity, tools with the lengthened guides are often too large or awkward for practical use. In the past, flexible fastener packs have been used in some tools, but the placement of the guides for the flexible fastener packs led to awkward tool designs.